


Pointed Discussion

by thequidditchpitch_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Comedy, Fluff, Hogwarts Era, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-05-14
Updated: 2006-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-26 13:41:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10787817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thequidditchpitch_archivist/pseuds/thequidditchpitch_archivist
Summary: Luna is sure she knows what to expect when she spends the weekend with Dean for the first time.





	Pointed Discussion

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Quidditch Pitch collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thequidditchpitch/profile).

Pointed

"Luna, you're missing the point!"  
  
Luna Lovegood had heard those words – or variations thereof – from a variety ofpeople in a variety of situations. Usually, any further attempts she made at"getting the point" resulted in these same people gaping, throwingtheir hands up in exasperation, or, as in Professor Binns's case, calling onanother student.  
  
But Ginny Weasley was her friend, and as such, Luna did not any further to"get the point." She was sure that Ginny - as her friend - would tellher exactly what it was she _wasn't_ understanding about the letter she'dreceived from Dean Thomas, a junior architect at the Ministry's Department ofMagical Buildings and Edifices, and, a little more improbably, Luna's boyfriendof more than a year.  
  
"All right, let's review a bit, shall we –?"   
  
"Now?" Luna looked round at the empty Quidditch pitch. The stands hadcleared at last of the students that had come out to watch Gryffindor poundRavenclaw into the ground. Gryffindor's team that year was about as good as ithad been in _any_ year - everyone said so, except the Slytherins.   
  
Nevertheless, Luna was not allowed to say so, for it wasn't what HeadmistressMcGonagall called being "impartial." Luna rather thought theHeadmistress, who had given her another chance to commentate on Quidditchmatches, was missing a point of her own. Wasn't being truthful better thanimpartiality? She'd tried to ask the Headmistress, but got a curt shake of thehead and a suggestion to "please look to your commentating, Luna. On the game _itself_."   
  
Ginny was Gryffindor's captain that year, having resumed the position of Seekerand playing quite well. Some Ravenclaws had made the odd comment that Ginny hadgotten a good bit of help relearning the position by having free access toHarry Potter's broomstick. Luna thought that it might be a joke, but when shementioned it to Ginny, her friend had only groused that she didn't haveanywhere near as much access to it for her liking.   
  
"What's wrong with now? We're alone, aren't we?"  
  
"Yes," Luna said thoughtfully, wondering what that had to do withanything. "But I thought you might want to wash up first."  
  
"Why? Do I smell?" Ginny wrinkled her nose in mock outrage and thenbegan to laugh. "Let's start with a few questions. _When_ was thelast time you saw Dean?"  
  
"Right before getting on the Hogwarts Express." She rather liked thisso far - it was like being interviewed, in a way. Luna couldn't understand whysome of the people that Dad tried to interview sometimes made such a fuss aboutit. "He was there with Dad to see me off."  
  
"And then how much time did you have to be alone?"  
  
Luna thought about that a moment. "Well, none. Dean had to go back to theMinistry and Dad wanted to have a few words alone with me." She smiled atthe memory of the emotion in her dad's eyes as he wished her well in her finalyear of Hogwarts, saying that he was so proud of all she'd accomplished and heknew that had she been there, Mummy would have been, as well.  
  
"And Dean is now living _where_?"  
  
"In Brixton." Luna bit her lip when Ginny's face fell. Wrong answer,that. "Er ... in a Muggle neighborhood?"  
  
"Maybe I should ask it another way: Dean has _how_ many flatmatesnow?"  
  
"Oh. Well ... none at all." Luna recalled that Dean had beenparticularly pleased about having earned enough to move out of the flat heshared with Seamus and into a smaller one by himself. He and Seamus loved eachother like brothers, Dean had said in his letter to her announcing the move,but they'd both come to realize that they were living together out of habit andnot really out of necessity.   
  
"Yes!" Ginny looked pleased again. "Now, with all that said, _and_ keeping in mind that Christmas break begins next week, _why_ do you reckonhe's sent three owls already pleading with you to come down and spend a fewdays with him?"  
  
Luna thought hard about this. After all, it had been at this very juncturethat, according to Ginny, she'd stumbled past the point before.  
  
"Because ... it's the time of year to be with people you care about?"Luna reflected that since the war had ended, it had been driven home to herthat spending time with loved ones was not solely a seasonal event. But she wassure that Ginny had mentioned Christmas break for a reason.  
  
"Yes ..."  
  
"... And he misses me a great deal?"  
  
"Yes ..." Ginny was smiling wider.  
  
"And he ... has something special in mind?"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
Luna clapped her hands in delight, happy that she was on the right track atlast. "He wants me to help him check his new flat for any signs of aFlazeebo infestation!"   
  
The Ministry had been plagued with the little buggers, but was keeping itquiet, Luna knew. Even Dad's regular source had been reluctant to speak aboutthe extent of the problem, which he had attributed to the sorry state ofplumbing on the first three floors -  
  
"No!" Ginny hid her face in her hands. "No, no, no!"  
  
"No?"  
  
"No!" The redhead sighed loudly and leaned closer. "Maybe Ishould just spell it out for you -"  
  
Ginny didn't exactly do any sort of spelling, but for five minutes, she spokein a low voice, punctuating her words with very interesting hand gestures. Lunafollowed along, but there was one word that made her blink her protuberant eyesin wonder.  
  
"Shagging?"  
  
Luna hadn't thought she'd spoken very loudly, but her voice boomed around theempty pitch. Demelza Robins, who had been walking across the grass, paled,turned on her heel, and was out of sight again in a moment.   
  
Ginny rolled her eyes and lowered her voice a bit more.  
  
"Well, I'm sure that he _does_ want to see you for other reasons,but, yes, I think he's written to ask if you can come down because you'llfinally have a place where you can be alone and ..."   
  
Ginny wiggled her eyebrows and grinned. Luna looked contemplative. Ginny'ssmile vanished.  
  
"Luna, what's wrong? Things are still all right with you and Dean, aren'tthey?"  
  
"Yes." Luna gazed across the wide field, her airy expression turninga bit wistful. "I miss him very much."  
  
"Do you, um, _want_ to? With him, I mean?"  
  
"Oh, yes!" Luna paused a moment. "I do like snogging him, andshagging has the same number of letters as snogging - and only two lettersdifferent."  
  
"Interesting way of looking at it," Ginny said, snickering."Then are you going to try to see him?"  
  
"I'm not sure. Dad might not like it." Luna chewed her lower lip."We always spend the holidays together, you know. Besides, if _you're_ very sure that Dean would like to shag me, then Dad might have thought of it,too."   
  
Luna’s brows knit in thought. "Actually, that might explain why Dad askedme again if it was still impossible to Apparate in and out of Hogwarts."  
  
"It might." Ginny looked as if she were trying very hard not tolaugh. "But I'm sure there are ways around that."  
  
"Apparating in and out of Hogwarts?"  
  
"No - making it so that your father doesn't realise what you're about."Ginny's expression turned gleefully devious. "In fact, I have an idea: Youcould tell him that _I've_ invited you to spend a few days in Claphamvisiting my brother and Harry. You could stay a night or two and then go ‘roundto see Dean. It couldn't be easier."  
  
"No, I suppose it couldn't." Luna was quiet for a moment. "Ididn't know that you were going to see Harry over the holidays."  
  
"Well, _officially_ I'm going to be staying with Hermione, but she'staking Ron to visit with her parents for a couple of days, so Harry and I willhave his flat to ourselves."  
  
Luna nodded knowingly. More practice with Harry's broomstick was on the agendathere, apparently.  
  
"So, what do you say? I could owl Hermione tonight and ask her if it's allright if you come along."  
  
"Hmm. Well, Dad _did_ say that he was going to be quite busy for thenext week or two. He's writing an exposé on the rise in illegal breeding farmsof Burlyhurl bison." Luna rested her chin in his hands. "He might notmind if I were gone for a day or two."  
  
"Or three ..." Ginny arched an eyebrow and grinned. "Let yourDad know, then owl Dean and tell him to expect you next Friday evening."  
  
"All right." Luna felt an interesting fluttering in her stomach andwondered if she should have taken the Headmistress's advice against eatingCockroach Clusters while commentating. "Shall I mention the shagging, aswell?"  
  
"No, I don't really think you'll have to!" Ginny's dark eyes dancedin amusement. "I'm sure Dean will be able to read between the lines whenhe gets your owl."  
  
Luna considered that a moment. While it was true that drinking the juice ofGarsis petals did allow one to have extremely keen eyesight, the plant onlyflowered once every three hundred and seventy-two years, and anyway, Dean hadan aversion to the smell of cinnamon. But she smiled beatifically at Ginny,understanding that it was quite an easy mistake to make.   
  
~*~  
  
Luna had learned a long time ago that during Christmas time, making one’sfriends and family cheerful and happy was of the utmost importance, even if itwas something of an inconvenience.   
  
From the time that she'd informed Ginny that her father was allowing her to goon the visit to London, Ginny had seemed quite eager to instruct Luna oncertain ... things. And while these certain ... things were quite interestingin their way, Luna found the discussion of them rather baffling.   
  
She wouldn't say so to Ginny, of course, who was already being so kind, butHermione Granger, in whose flat she and Ginny were staying, seemed to pick upon her unease. Hours before they all were set to go their separate ways,Hermione had pulled Luna into her bedroom for a talk.  
  
"If you like, I could tell Ginny not to be so ... exuberant in herdiscussions of Dean."  
  
"Oh, but she enjoys it so much," Luna said with a faint smile."And I like talking about him, too, of course."  
  
"Yes, but I understand how it could be a bit awkward for you."  
  
"You do?" Luna had been only vaguely surprised to hear that. HermioneGranger was a clever witch and understood a great many things that weren'ttall, freckled, lanky, and redheaded. However, Luna fancied that since Hermionewas going to be marrying Ronald Weasley next autumn, she had finally masteredthat bit of comprehension as well.  
  
"Well, yes," Hermione smiled gently. "After all, I don't thinkI'd be happy to get 'advice' on Ron from Lavender Brown."   
  
"Oh." Luna could agree with that. She didn't think that _she_ would want Lavender Brown's advice on putting one foot in front of the other."Yes ... I see."  
  
"But it was never very serious with Ginny and Dean. I'm sure you knowthat," said Hermione. "And Ginny is quite pleased that you and Deanhave gotten off the way you have."  
  
Luna studied the floor, which showed marked signs of Trimble erosion. Clearly,an Obliviator had lived in the flat before Hermione - one that hadn't troubledto wash his feet very often, apparently.   
  
"I think," Luna said, looking up, "I'm a little concerned thatDean won't find me ..." She bit her lip as she searched for the correctwords. "Well, I don't think he'll be able to do with me what it seems hewill want."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yes. For instance, Ginny says that after I've gotten accustomed toshagging Dean in certain positions, I should try others that will allow him towatch certain parts of me," Luna went on, mindless of Hermione's rapidlypaling complexion. "But I don't understand what he'll want to _watch_ exactly, since those parts of me don't really go anywhere. My bum, for example,is always in the same place. Now, if I were a Swivel-Hipped Spotygus -"  
  
"Er, Luna, really," Hermione cut in hastily, "I think that themost important thing is that you are _comfortable_. I'm sure that's whatGinny meant when she said that you should become 'accustomed.' Experimentingcan be lovely, but not ... right away."  
  
Luna noted the embarrassed look on Hermione's face and reflected that Ronaldwas quite tall. Dean was quite tall, as well. If Hermione's expression was anyindication, maybe experimenting would have to be put off indefinitely.  
  
There was a short knock on the door, and then Ginny stuck her head in. "Sothere's where you all are hiding! Come on out; Luna, there's something in thekitchen I think that you should take before you leave."  
  
Luna followed Hermione out the door, but not before murmuring her thanks to theolder girl for the thoughtful words. Ginny cast a curious glance at the two ofthem as she guided Luna by the arm to the kitchen. The signs of Trible Rotalong the corridors of the hallways momentarily distracted Luna but a discreetcough made her look up and halt mid-step.  
  
Dean was at Hermione's kitchen table, still in his Ministry robes, long legsstretched out in front of him. He had been looking at something on the telly,but at her approach, he turned his head. With a wide smile, he stood, and itwas then that Luna noticed the bouquet of flowers in his hand.  
  
"Oh. Hello." She was conscious of that fluttery feeling in herstomach again. Strange, since she had decided to give up Cockroach Clusters infavor of Chocolate Frogs. "You're early."  
  
"Um, yeah." Dean's smile faded a little. "We were let go alittle before time today, so I thought I'd nip around so you wouldn't have totake the tube by yourself."  
  
"Dean, how thoughtful!" Ginny said, nudging Luna toward him."Right, Luna?"   
  
But Luna was at the sleeve of Dean's robe. The edge of something silver waspeeking out of the sleeve. She looked up at him eagerly.  
  
"You're wearing the manacle!"  
  
"Oh, yeah." Dean pulled the sleeve up a little to reveal a thicksilver circlet with blue edges. "I hope you don't mind, but when peopleask about it, I only tell them that it's a gift from my girlfriend. I don'tthink I can convince my boss that the quills that we use cause Wrist Rot. He'ssomething of a git ..."   
  
He cleared his throat and thrust the flowers in front of him. There was a bitof snow at the edges of the petals. "These are for you, by the way."  
  
"They're beautiful." Luna took the bouquet and inhaled deeply, noteven bothering to check for nargles. They wouldn't have been able to survive insuch cold weather.   
  
"I'm very happy to see you," she said as best she could withouttaking her nose out of a rhododendron.   
  
"Me, too," Dean said, kissing the top of her head. "We'dprobably better get going. I have a pretty full weekend planned."  
  
Luna lifted her head and looked at him for a long moment. He seemed rather ...different in the three months since they'd last seen each other. Broader in theshoulders, maybe, and with a shade of dark stubble on his chin. He lookedwickedly handsome, and the idea of that what he had in mind had Luna rethinkingher decision on postponing their "experimentation."  
  
~*~  
  
"Right. So here's the grand tour."  
  
Brushing Floo powder off his pants, Dean took her by the hand and guided herover the blueprints and scrolls that littered the floor of his tiny flat.Finding a spot relatively free of clutter, he put his hands on her shouldersand spun her around.   
  
"Kitchen, there. Loo, there. Bedroom, well, you're standing in it. Can Ihave a kiss now?"  
  
Luna's head was spinning, and the feel of his lips on hers didn't help matters,but she didn't mind much. It gave her an excuse to hold tight and sink againstthat broad chest. She remembered Dad saying that the war had turned youngwizards into men, and how interesting was it that she found herself in the armsof such a fit one.  
  
"That was nice," Dean murmured when they broke apart. "Did Iscare you a bit at Hermione's? I was going to Floo to let you know I'd becoming, but I thought I'd surprise you."  
  
"I like surprises."  
  
"Good, because I have another one for you." He shrugged out of hiswork robes, and pointing his wand toward a shapeless pile near the bathroom,summoned a Muggle jumper. "But we can talk about that in a bit -"  
  
"I think ..." Luna began, then stopped, eyes growing wide when Deantook off his work shirt and slipped the jumper on. Yes - he'd definitely gottenbroader since she'd last seen him. It was quite, quite lovely. "I thinkI'd much rather discuss it _now_."   
  
"Er, but I thought we might get something to eat first," Dean saidwhen his head emerged. "Or, I could show you around the neighborhood. Wemight not get a chance to do that later."  
  
Luna reckoned _that_ was a good point, especially, if what Ginny saidabout 'recovery periods' were true. "All right. Food then. You'll needyour strength."  
  
"Hm?"  
  
She frowned. Maybe Dean wasn't one of _those_ types of men. She simplysmiled, and he took a step back and stared at her as if he were just noticingsomething.  
  
"Uh, you're, um, wearing your school uniform," he said hoarsely.   
  
"Yes." Luna looked down, remembering how insistent Ginny had beenabout that. 'Trust me,' was all the redhead had said with a knowing smirk.  
  
"Is there something wrong with it?"  
  
"No. It's just ... uh, aren't you cold?" Dean's eyes lingered belowher skirt. "Not that you don't look great in it. Uh, but were the skirts _always_ that short?" He dragged his gaze up to her face, but it almost immediatelyplunged again.   
  
Luna simply smiled again. Dean made an interesting sound in the back of histhroat.  
  
"Dean," she said, loosening her tie, "you were telling me thatyou had a surprise for me. I have one for you, as well ..."  
  
"You do? Cool! But me first, okay? Since you want to talk about thingsnow." He seemed to pull himself together a little and gently seated her onthe couch. "Uh ... I know I was a little vague in my owl about just _why_ I wanted you to come down _this_ weekend."  
  
"That's all right. I discussed things with Ginny, and she helped me to ...get the point." Luna laced her fingers through his. "She helped me agood deal in getting prepared."  
  
"Ginny?" He looked very confused. "But how did she know ...?Maybe Potter mentioned something to her. I saw him and Weasley the other day,and I sort of mentioned what I had in mind. I suppose I was a bitexcited."  
  
"Oh. Should I have told someone, too? Well, I did tell Hermione. She hadquite a lot of good advice."  
  
"I would guess so. She's been through it enough with Weasley." Deanlooked much more relaxed now. "In a way, this is good. That you knew allalong, I mean. I was starting to feel a little guilty at the thought ofspringing it on you last minute. I've ... been thinking about this forawhile."  
  
"So have I." Luna dimly recalled Ginny's counsel about getting thingspast the talking stage and more toward the stage where they both began makingfunny noises. Touching, Ginny had said, was usually a good start.   
  
Smiling, Luna reached out to touch him and watched in amazement as he fell offthe couch.  
  
"Dean?"  
  
"Uh ..."   
  
"Are you all right?" She peered at him as another idea occurred toher. "Or would you like me to come down there as well?"  
  
"No!" He shakily pulled himself up and back onto the couch. "Ijust, um, you sort of caught me off-guard there -"  
  
"I'm sorry. It won't happen again," she said sincerely. This time,she told him just _what_ she was going to touch, _when_ , and _how_ ,but oddly enough, that caused him to fall off the couch again even before shegot anywhere near him.  
  
"Luna, blimey, what are you _playing_ at?"   
  
"Am I beginning wrong?" Luna said, frowning a little. Ginny had saidthat there were _some_ blokes who didn't like that part of shagging andpreferred skipping straight to the 'main event.' Ginny had made it clear thatsuch men were only slightly above Flobberworms in the desirability department.  
  
"Beginning _what_ wrong?" Dean made his way to the couch again,and after tugging at his trousers in a very _interesting_ manner, turnedto face her. "Luna, what's going on?"  
  
"Well, nothing yet, because you and I still have our clothes on." Shelooked down. "Though it looks as if your trousers are trying to pullthemselves off."  
  
Dean gave another tug. "Luna ... um, what, exactly, are we talking abouthere?"  
  
"I'm talking about shagging," Luna said, blinking rapidly. "I'mnot quite sure what _you_ are talking about, really. I think there mightbe a Wrackspurt flying about. Is your Floo still open?"   
  
She smiled gently at his panicked glance downward. "No, no, your _Floo_."  
  
"It - yeah - wait - shagging?" He ran a hand over his hair."We're ... uh, you thought we were going to shag?"  
  
"Yes, of course. Wasn't that what you had planned?"   
  
"No! I mean, not that I haven't thought about it, but honestly, I think weprobably should wait a bit. I only get to see you on hols right now, ifthat," he said with a rueful smile. "I think that I'd go a little madif we only got to, uh, do that once every three months."  
  
Luna thought that over. "Oh. Yes, I suppose that would be a shame,especially if it turned out to be very good, because Apparating in and out ofHogwarts is still quite impossible."  
  
"Appar— uh, never mind." He gave her a funny look. "You wereplanning on seducing me? Was that _your_ surprise?"  
  
"Oh, no. I thought that was _your_ surprise, you see, so I pickedanother," she said. "It wouldn't have done for both of us to have thesame surprise, after all. What's yours?"  
  
"What's what?" Dean's eyes went traveling again, and he seemed to berethinking something. "Oh, right. That. Uh. It's just that my Mum and Dadhave decided to go to Barbados over the hols. To visit family, and that, andthey wanted to me to come over and drop off gifts and pick up the gifts theyhave for me. And ..." He inhaled deeply. "I thought maybe this wouldbe a nice time for them to meet you. If you’re all right with it, ofcourse."  
  
"Oh ..."  
  
"So, I sort of said that we might pop round for dinner. Tonight - ortomorrow. But we don't _have_ to."  
  
"Oh ..." Luna blinked twice and caught sight of the manacle on Dean'swrist. Everyone had giggled when she'd announced what sort of Hogwarts-leavinggift she was giving to Dean, calling it quite a silly thing to give to a boy.And then, everyone had giggled at the thought of her having a boy at all,especially a boy like Dean who had played Quidditch and dated girls and hadsuch interesting friends.   
  
But she _did_ have him, after all, and he was wearing the manacle, and hehad brought her flowers, and he wanted to wait to make love to her because hethought it would be so wonderful that waiting so long to do it again wassomething that he found objectionable, and he wanted her to meet his family.Luna wondered if it was possible that she was missing a point somewhere alongthe way. She doubted it, though, because Dean looked as if he were about tofall off the couch again and she knew that if she smiled, he would be allright. So she did, and it was, and she breathed a sigh of relief, wishing thatGinny was around to see her now.  
  
"I would like very much to meet them." Luna was quiet a moment."But do they know ... well, _you_ know ..."  
  
"That you're a witch? 'Course they know that. I told them where we met,after all."  
  
"No, no ..."  
  
"What? That you're blonde?"  
  
"No ..."  
  
"That you're still in school?" His eyes went traveling again."They do, but if you wanted to keep that on the whole weekend, I bloodysure won't mind."  
  
"No." She leaned her head to the side and looked at him. "Dothey know that I'm ... rather different. Or that I'm called LoonyLovegood?"  
  
" _No_." Dean looked stern, but his hand on her cheek was warmand very gentle. "Because that's not what anyone who has a brain in theirhead calls you. You're _Luna_ and you're mine, and they _do_ knowthat."  
  
Luna felt the fluttering sensation return again, and this time when they kissedand her hand accidentally landed in a certain place, Dean didn't fall onto thefloor again.  
  
"Er, you know," he said, when they pulled apart. "We could gosee my Mum and Dad tomorrow. Or maybe the next day. I told them that we mightneed a day or so to catch up."  
  
"Good thinking," Luna said, dreamily staring at a stretch of skinright below Dean's ear that just called out to be covered with kisses andbites. "That will also give me a chance to nip round to a Muggle store andbuy a few sets of knickers."  
  
"Rig— uh, knickers?" Dean grew very still. "Uh ... aren't youwearing any? Now, I mean?"  
  
"No. That's _my_ surprise," she said, smiling. "I didn'tthink I would need any, so I didn't pack them, you see. Though, it's a shame,since there are a few things that can be done that wouldn't really beconsidered shagging. And most of them go quite nicely when one isn't wearingknickers to begin with."  
  
There was another long period of silence. Luna prodded a spot on the floor withher toe, trying to determine whether it was a Flazeebo dropping. But before shecould establish whether it was the right colour, she was no longer in thecorrect position to study the specimen.   
  
"Yeah ... that'd be a right shame to waste that opportunity," Deansaid, making a sound between a laugh and groan. "Whoever said Ravenclawswere the clever ones were spot-on."   
  
He bent to kiss her neck, though his hands got a considerable lower start. Andfor the next few hours, Luna did her very best to do honour to the reputationof her house.


End file.
